Seminar on Traditional Plant Knowledge to be held at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center

LAFAYETTE, La. —The public is invited to attend a presentation, "Traditional Plant Knowledge
along the Bayou Teche," by University of Louisiana at Lafayette anthropologist Dr. C. Ray Brassieur at
the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wetlands Research Center on October 5, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. The
event is being held as a component of Experience Atchafalaya Days.

Until fairly recently, deep knowledge of plants and their uses characterized traditional culture in south
Louisiana. This illustrated presentation focuses on traditional plant knowledge shared by Creoles of
Color living along the Bayou Teche during the mid-20th century. It draws from a revisit of fieldwork
conducted by Charles J. Bienvenu, in St. Martin Parish, in 1932. Comparative ethnohistorical and
ethnographic data indicates that most of this plant knowledge originally derived from Native Americans. How much of this knowledge remains? Brassieur's presentation will explore this area.

Experience Atchafalaya Days, sponsored by the Friends of the Atchafalaya and the Atchafalaya National
Heritage Area in the Louisiana Office of Tourism, runs the month of October and is designed to educate
people about recreational opportunities and the natural and cultural resources of the 14 parish area that
comprises the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area.

USGS provides science for a changing world. For more information, visit www.usgs.gov.